Shades Of Gray
by Mach Farcon
Summary: KOTOR AU. He lost his memories. But they could never take his identity. Now he is on the path to discover why. Why he did what he did and how he lost them.
1. Money for Bodies

Star Wars Kights of the Old Republic is owned/published by Bioware and published by LucasArts.

This is an entirely different take on KotOR than my first attempt. So sit back, and enjoy the ride.

* * *

A Sith patrol moved down a beaten path, alert, but not ready for what was about to come. The lead Sith took his final fatal step and triggered the ML-16XL Anti-Personal Mine. Turning him into something that resembled an after product of a meat grinder. The squad leader would have felt proud of the way the four remaining troopers quickly covered all of the victors. But, as with most soldiers, they forgot the fact they were surrounded by trees and there for needed to think in _3d instead of 2d_. This mistake quickly cost two of the troopers their lives. A disrupter rifle barked twice harshly. The Sith, that was covering the squads six, collapsed with a hole malted in the side of his face. The soldier next to him almost immediately suffered same fate. One of the remaining Sith panicked and ran for the protection of the foliage off the beaten path.

A figure dropped behind him, grabbed him by his neck, and effortlessly slit his throat. The other Sith moved his blaster rifle to try to shoot the dark figure but without looking the Sith's killer let go of the Sith whose throat was cut open like _gusu_ fruit; ripped out a pistol with the left hand and fired one shot. The trooper instinctively ducked at the sudden movement; saving his life but, at the cost of his rifle. Unit 5982 looked at his dead squad mates and then at their killer who still had its back turned to him. Unit 5982 slowly pulled his Vibro blade out of its sheath and stood up. Unit 5982 knew that he might die but he was going to take the threat down first! With those thoughts bolstering him he let out a cry and ran, Vibro blade raised high, toward the killer. Unit 5982 was almost to his target when it turned and thrust out its right palm. A invisible fist seemed to smash in to Unit 5982's chest and sending him flying back as well as shattering of his ribs. Unit 5982 looked up in terror as saw _his_ killer slowly pick up his own Vibro blade. There was a flash and the 'blade disappeared from the dark figure's hand, reappearing a second later imbedded in Unit 5982's chest. A strange sort of silence fell over the killing-path, only interrupted by the gurgling of the Sith trooper, who quick fell silent; dead. Mach Farcon stood over the dead bodies and could not help but value the work; after all it was good to appreciate your own handiwork, wasn't it?

He then removed a small, box-like object from his pocket and pointed it at the dead bodies. There was a faint _click _sound then the device was replaced. Shortly after, Mach stood in front of a secret Republic base. He waved a hand in front of a cleverly hidden lens disguised as a knot in the tree and then walked approximately 3 meters and stood on a large, square rock. After a few seconds the rock began to descend in to the ground. After being lowered about 6 meters Mach reached a dimly lit room and then he stepped off landing 1.5 meters down. He then walked over to a door and entered a code in the key pad. The pad beeped and then the door slowly opened with a soft _hiss_, letting in light and sound.

Upon entering the base, he was haled by an ensign.

"Mach!" a blond man grinned as he walked up, "How ya do'in?"

"Good," Mach replied with his deep, bass voice. As they resumed walking, the blond said,

"Great," "So..?"

"So what?" Mach said.

"Ya know, what'd ya do out there?" Harvey Airchigol questioned.

Mach shrugged, "Took out the five Sith troopers."

"Five patrols, six men a piece," Harvey counted, "You're a killing machine aren't ya?"

"Just doing my job," Mach stated.

"Yeah, but you enjoy your job," Harvey countered.

"True," Mach acknowledged with a nod. They passed a cute female technician who smiled invitingly at Mach.

Mach ignored the smile and kept walking.

"Dude, if I had that many women smile at me like that, I wouldn't sleep for a month," Harvey exclaimed.

"I don't have time for that." Mach said, "I have a job to do. Besides, Elizabeth would kick your ass if you did anything like that."

"True." Harvey said, then he lowered his voice and whispered, "I'm gonna ask her."

"Really?" Mach questioned. "Do you have a ring?"

"It's coming in on the next shipment. It's a fire crystal from Yaven 4." Harvey suddenly got a slightly confused look on his face and then he turned to ask Mach "You offed five Sith, right?" Mach nodded affirmative. "But there's six to a squad." Harvey half questioned half stated. Mach shrugged, "May be they forgot him." Harvey nodded slightly and seemed to accept this explanation. He then smacked his forhead and exclaimed, "Damn it, I forgot!"

"What?" Mach calmly asked.

"I was suppose to tell ya that you're to see the Big Man."

Mach nodded and turned right at the intersection they had just gotten to.

"See ya." Harvey waved.

Mach gave a short wave over his shoulder as he continued on. He could hear Harvey happily accost someone else as he left. Mach arrived at his destination, and walked in the General's door. General Rick Von Nelshon The 18th looked up his he walked in.

"Come in Mach," The General said. Mach handed General Rick the small, box- like object from before. Von Nelshon pressed a button on it and then raised his eyebrow and looked at Mach. "Getting a little messy?"

Mach shrugged and grinned. "Have to mix it up once in a while."

The General grunted in vague agreement, then he said to Mach "We will transfer the funds in to your account. He then looked at Mach and smiled as he said, "A job just came down from command. You interested?"

"From that look on your face, I probably shouldn't be". Mach sarcastically replied.

"Just look at it, you kill-happy merc!" Von Nelshon grumbled as he handed Mach a datapad. Mach looked at it and said incredulously, "You've got to be kidding!."

* * *

Love it? Despise it? Review eather way!

Thanks!

Mach(yeah, I only have one name on-line)


	2. When You Run Out of Time

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is owned/published by Bioware and published by LucasArts.

Shout out to my reviewer, _Handerra._

This is an entirely different take on KotOR than my first attempt. So sit back, and enjoy the ride.

* * *

Unit 5186 was not having a good day. First, his squad left him at the mess-hall to go on patrol. Then his squad was slaughtered by some homicidal freak. Luckily, the mess-hall was open…

* * *

Mach let out a sigh and said, "So, let me get this straight. I am going to board a ship, which only god knows where it is going; to guard a Jedi, a _female _one at that. And to top it off, she's the Jedi poster child! I am I forgetting any thing?"

General Von Nelshon chuckled, not the least bit perturbed by Mach's outburst and said, "No, but you did forget the fact that you are going to be paid half-a-mil to do this job."

"Well, there's that." Mach conceded. He sighed. "When do I leave?"

"Your connecting flight to Coruscant leaves at 0800 tomorrow."

* * *

Mach had never left a job unfinished so he headed for the main Sith base, which also happened to be the only Sith base on the planet. Mach reached a cliff overlooking the base and surveyed it. Six to seven _hundred _Sith were housed inside making it impossible to storm it from the front. Lucky, for Mach, he didn't need to. The Sith had wanted to create the base as soon as possible, thus they had installed a K-53 power plant. The K- 53s, while easy to build and maintain, had one small or one big problem; depending on how one looked at it. The 'plant was completely stable unless the outer-casing was cracked or damaged. If it were cracked however, a very short time later it would blow up rather spectacularly. Mach smiled his grim reaper smile that he was famous for. He withdrew his combat knife and took a step forward…dropping off the cliff head first.

After falling for about 6 to 7 meters he let his feet swing down as he gripped his knife in both hands and raising it, blade facing out, to about chest level. He slammed in to the Sith guard's body with enough force to immediately snap all of the bones in the guards lower body. At the same time Mach's knife was driven to the hilt in the top of the Sith's head. Mach slowly stood up. After cleaning his knife of various bodily fluids and brains, he sheathed it as he headed for the maintenance hatch.

Mach easily avoided the guard and personnel on his way to the power plant. Upon arriving at the windowless control center, that was over the plant, he walked up behind the lone guard, grabbed his head, and calmly slit his throat. Letting the body hit the floor, Mach strode forward as the technician turned. The tech' started to open his mouth but Mach, with out pausing, kicked his right foot out in a front-thrust kick; smashing the Sith in the chest; propelling him over the railing! His fast-fading scream reached Mach's ears. Mach pressed the button to drop the power plants cover shield. Mach backed several meters away from the console and then ran towards it! Just before he reached it, however, he jumped and flipped over the console to fly a good 4 meters beyond it. Landing on the power plant's exposed cover, Mach removed a XMT9- 2500 mini seismic charge from his belt.

As he was finishing setting the charge, he heard the command center door open. At the command "Hay You! Stop!" Mach quickly stood up and assessed is opposition. Four Sith Shock Troopers all had their guns pointed at him. Mach slowly backed a meter-and-a-half away from the edge. Mach then smiled his reaper's grin and blurred to the edge; leaping off it! At times like these the world seemed to slow down to a crawl, giving him plenty of time to unholster his dual Mandalorian Heavy X-50 Pistols. He sighted both X-50s on the trooper to the far left, and squeezed the triggers. The dual blasts instantly killed the Sith. Blaster fire began to slowly lance out at him from the remaining troopers. Mach let instincts guide him and he rapidly pulled both triggers. He landed in a crouch, a full meter beyond the Shock troopers; arms and guns sweeping behind him as the Sith troopers collapsed behind him. He slowly stood up and if one could see his eyes right then they just might see something inhuman burning in its depths. Then he blinked and the eyes returned to normal, as if nothing happened.

Mach holstered his weapons and walked off into the base. Mach eventually reached a overhang a kilometer way from the base, having been "interrupted" several times. The overhang allowed Mach to see the entire base from in distance.

Mach held up a small, thin rectangle and pressed the red button on it then looked at the Sith Main Base. A few seconds later a deep rumble sounded from within the base. A second later the Sith base exploded in all directions with a spectacular _BOOM!_ As Mach's naturally gray eyes viewed the destruction, he whispered in awe, "Beautiful." He then headed back to the Republic Base.

* * *

After packing and making arrangements for his "protection" gear, Mach had four hours to burn, so he headed for the hand-to-hand combat room. Mach arrived in time to see a Republic Cadet fall to the floor unconscious, courtesy of Bob "Big Bob" Dunner. Dunner was known for his uncivilized conduct with women and beating his opponents into a bloodily pulp. Supposedly he bested a Mandalorian Combat Captain in hand-to-hand, then he killed the captain. Bob immediately walked over to a pretty female mechanic and started to "talk" to her. She shook her head, but he wouldn't take "no" for an answer. As he was grabbing her arm, he noticed Mach had entered the room. Bob noticed Mach's lack of interest in him and immediately took offense. After all he, Bob F. Dunner, was the best there was! And with these thoughts he called out to Mach "Hay Murc! Wunna fight like man instead of hiding like a girl?" The room hushed in expectation as Mach turned around but didn't reply he then taunted "Looks like yer jus' a woman in disguise."

Mach shrugged and started to walk to the mat as he said, "Need to relax before the ship leaves anyway. And by the way, since you have decided not to leave that lady alone, bad things are going to happen" Dunner raised his hands up in the air and said in an artificially high voice, "Ohh, I am soo scared!"

Mach smirked and said in a voice that sounded a bit like a beginning of a nightmare, "You should be."

Bob held up his large fists, ready to begin. Mach stood opposite him and still had his hands at his side. Dunner then proceeded to jeer, "Look at 'em! He don't even know how to fight!"

The fight buzzer sounded and the fight began. Bob immediately and confidently swung his fist at Mach's head! Mach however, bent out of the way and the fist passed by him harmlessly. Dunner followed it up with a uppercut, which was dodged again by Mach. He then began flailing, hoping to hit his enemy. Mach however, without moving from his spot, evaded every attack with ease. Bob suddenly lunged for Mach with arms outstretched. He reached Mach's spot, but _just_ before Dunner reached his target, Mach back flipped out of the way. Bob was so surprised that he forgot to put up his hands. Mach took advantage of this failure and ran, but it wasn't really a run; more like a glide, punching the large man in the face; knocking him down. Mach continued on his path past Dunner, stopping a short distance away. Bob slowly got up; murder in his eyes. He let out guttural scream and charged Mach! Just before Dunner reached his object of hate and embarrassment, Mach moved out of the way and clotheslined him, flipping Bob head-over-heels to slam on his back. Mach then knelt by Big Bob's face and said in a low dark whisper "I told you bad things where going to happen." Mach then slammed his fist in to Big Bob's head knocking him out. Mach stood up to stunned silence.

As he was leaving the mat, scattered applause rose and soon the whole room was clapping. Mach left the room indifferently.

* * *

A short time later Mach was standing on the landing platform as he waited for the transport ship to finish its landing procedures. After the ship finished Mach began moving his equipment onto the spacecraft. He was getting ready to bring aboard the last of his items when he heard his name being called.

"Mach!" Harvey called. Mach turned as Harvey ran up to him, leaning over to catch his breath when he got there. Mach looked over at his hunched figure with amusement.

"Screw you." Harvey said with out malice, "Not all of us are super-muscled like you." Mach shrugged. "We can't all be the same. That would be boring." He deadpanned. Harvey opened his mouth to make a retort but then closed it as he thought about it.

"Anyways," Harvey said, "Since you took care of the Sith here we're moving out soon." He paused, and then continued. "So I just wanted to see you off and tell you good luck."

Mach nodded and then headed to the ship's on-ramp. "Mach!" Harvey shouted, "Good luck and may the force be with you!" Mach waved over his shoulder and Harvey watched as the ship lifted off. Not knowing that the ship's occupant had begun the journey into destiny.

* * *

Love It? Hate It?

R&R to let me know!


	3. The Power of a Name

_The meadow was peaceful. And for the two five-year-olds that equaled boring. They soon spied a cave in the distance. With childish glee the youngsters headed for what would be (in their minds) the adventure of their lives. The brown haired girl stopped at the entrance of the cave and peered into its depths. "I don't think we should go in there." She said with uncertainty. The dirty-blonde haired boy turned to her and exclaimed, "Com'on Kaylee! It'll be fun!"_

_

* * *

  
_

Mach sighed and shook his head. Why was he remembering this again? He had to focus. He was currently on the _Endar Spire _en route to **Dantooine**, home to a Jedi Enclave. The _Endar Spire, _a Hammer-Head class capitol ship, was making good time towards its destination. Mach chuckled to himself as he remembered his mission and the Jedi's "secret" mission. The Jedi had, in an effort to keep it on the down low, refused the usual frigate escort for the _Spire_. Thus, making the ship look vastly different over the skies of Coruscant. Not only that, Jedi seemed to only have two main modes: One was Jedi aloofness or Jedi walking around telling everyone they were better because they had "the Force". The other was the Jedi running around sticking their lightsabers where it didn't need to be and/or trying to make everyone "play nice". That's just how the Jedi were. Mach chuckled as he remembered when he had explicitly told a nosey Jedi exactly where he could shove his lightsaber. _"That shocked look of outrage on his face was priceless"_.

So, when a Jedi moved at a quick pace though one of the more "law-less" parts of Coruscant and boarded an unmarked ship and said ship immediately rocketed away from the landing pad. Well, it was like waving a large sign that said "Hay, I'm hiding something!"

Mach's mission was to make sure that Bastila, a Jedi Padawan, made it to Dantooine. Bastila was a Jedi Padawan "gifted" with Battle Mediation. Battle Mediation, as Mach understood it, was the ability to demoralize your enemies and at the same time energize your allies on a large scale, en masse. Bastila herself however, was known as "The Ice Queen". And that was one of the nicer terms. Mach had been told that unless Bastila was in danger he was not even supposed to make any sort of contact with her. A strange request, yes, but credits were credits. Mach figured that the ship would be boarded around the half way point.

"_Which would be right about…now." _Mach thought. He waited for a few seconds and then shrugged. Not two moments after this, the ship gave a large lurch and then the Captain's voice boomed over the ship's intercoms, "**We have been engaged by the Sith forces! There is boarding craft headed for the **_**Endar Spire**_**! All combat teams move to decks Four through Seven! This is not a Drill! I Repeat, This is not a Drill!"**

Mach nodded to himself and with unconscious calm began to strap on his armor and weapons as his mind raced though a myriad of strategies the Sith might use and how to counter them as he moved to the objective; Protect Bastila.

Mach closed his eyes for a moment and centered himself. Then, with his eyes still closed, he _looked. Beyond his room; beyond the hallways and soon the ship itself. Then he was everywhere and it was too much_. Mach snapped his eyes open and winced as he felt his consciousness slam back in to his skull. But, before his mind tried to "see" the entire galaxy, he "saw" that at least four large boarding parties had entered the _Endar Spire._ With that in mind Mach headed for the door to his room. He keyed the door and it slid open to reveal two very surprised Sith Troopers. The shock slowed their reaction time down considerably; not that it would have saved them had they not been shocked. Mach simply raised his hand and flexed his fingers outward. The result was instantaneous. The Sith were blasted away from Mach and hit the wall with sickening crunches. They would never be getting up. _"Fighting is so much easier with no one to ask uncomfortable questions."_

Mach stepped over the Sith's dead corpses and headed for the main elevator. He figured that since Bastila was on board she would have gotten an embassy suite or something like that so she would be on the upper living quarter's level.

* * *

Trask Ulgo knew that he was going to die. He, along with every crewmember aboard the _Endar Spire_, swore to protect Bastila to their dying breath. But he wasn't a trained soldier. He wasn't trained for this. He was _just_ an ensign. Trask looked back at Bastila who was currently trying to use her Jedi powers to save them or something. Two Republic Space Marines who were also assigned to guard Bastila were there as well. One was watching the feeds from the numerous cameras installed throughout the ship.

"They're coming." The guard looking at the feed spoke.

"How close?" The other Marine calmly asked.

"Two corridors over." Was the reply.

Trask watched the exchange with a mixture of awe and disbelief. _"How the hell are they so calm?! The Sith are coming to kill us and they're talking calmly?!" _Trask then realized why the Republic Space Marines were the best of the best, they probably were trained for something like this. Suddenly, they turned to each other and began making hand signs at each other. The one who was watching the feeds held out his fist; the other held out his hand flat, palm down. The one on the left turned and walked back to Bastila. The other calmly walked to the door. Trask suddenly know what they had done. One was going to buy Bastila some time, while the other tried to move her somewhere else safer. Trask made up his mind. He was going to honor his vow.

Trask quickly walked forward and grabbed a thermal detonator from the marine's belt. Before the Marine reacted; Trask ran through the open door. Trask triggered the door open/close button and the door shut as the marine started towards him. Using one of the many locking codes, he learned as an ensign, Trask locked the door behind him. Trask turned and looked at the very empty and intimidating corridor. The urge to open the door was almost over whelming. _Almost._ Trask's heart pounded in his chest. His breaths came in gasps. He literally had to force one step at time to move forward. Trask moved to the end of the corridor. It seemed to take a lifetime. Trask realized he was sweating profusely. He fought the random urge to giggle at the thought. _"Here I am, going to die and I'm worried about smelling." _

Then, Trask heard them. The Sith's plastisteel boots clanking on the floor. Trask summoned up courage from somewhere deep inside and clutched the thermal detonator; and with a slightly strangled deep breath, flipped the impact switch. He stepped around the corner. It all seemed to happen slowly. The Sith stopped and began to focus their weapons on him. Trask thought about the family farm and how proud mother and father were when he was accepted into flight academy. He remember when he was getting ready to board the ship his mother had been crying and his father had looked like he had dust in his eyes. They both ignored it. As he hugged his mother for the final time she whispered, "Come home to me. Please." And he had whispered back, "Of course I will. I Promise."

Trask smiled sadly. _"Sorry ma. It looks like I won't be coming home after all." _The first shot hit him in the chest with a fire unlike Trask had ever felt before. Then he went numb. He didn't feel the other shots hit him as he fell backwards. Nor did he feel the thermal detonator fall from his powerless hand as he fell into the comforting darkness.

* * *

Trenton Uvelle swore as the door refused to open. "Haar'chak_!_ (1)_ What was the utreekov_(2)_ ensign thinking? He was just going to get himself killed." _Trenton reached for the door panel once more when a large explosion rocked the ship. Trenton was stunned as he realized then what the "weak" ensign had done. Trenton bowed his head and spoke quietly, "Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum. (2)" He then looked up. He was a Republic Space Marine. And he still had a job to do. Trenton turned and signaled to his partner to rouse Bastila. It was time to go.

* * *

Bastila felt him die. His last thoughts were of his mother. A tear slipped had slipped down her cheek unnoticed as she felt his resolve to protect _her_. Because he believed in _her._ Bastila Shan. Jedi Padawan and wielder of Battle Meditation. And the best chance the Republic has at stopping the Sith's reign of terror. Bastila felt like crying. Then she felt a hand shaking her shoulder. And Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan opened her eyes.

* * *

Mach faintly heard an explosion in the distance. It was not close to _him_ so Mach dismissed it. Mach finally reached his destination, the door to Communications. Standing next to the closed door Mach recalled the room layout. It was small and cramped; But, more importantly, there was sensitive equipment that was vulnerable to say, blaster shots.

"_So, no blasters." _Mach thought. _"Not a problem." _

Mach drew his Baragwin Assault Blades in each hand. The Assault Blades, in addition to being able to cut through almost anything, were modified with cortosis weave; a rare lightsaber-deflecting mineral.

Mach triggered the door release with his elbow. The door opened to reveal four very surprised Sith troopers. Mach flipped the blades to 'reverse' grip and impaled the two Sith standing on either side of him in one violent motion. He then took a step forward as he slid the swords clear of the bodies, cocking them behind his head as he did so. Mach then plunged them into the chest of the trooper in front of him. The body fell, sliding off the blades with a wet sound.

The last trooper eyed his blaster sitting on the console next to him. Mach and the Sith stared at each other silently. The Sith broke the silence and lunged for his blaster. His hand grasped it and he swung it around to fire at the Republic mercenary. His hand never made it. With a flick of his wriest Mach embedded the sword in the Sith's skull.

Mach jerked the blade out the Sith's cranium and flicked the blood and brain matter away from the blades then sheathed them. He then looked around to locate the reason he had come to this room, the personal communications panel. Locating said panel, Mach walked over to it and examined it for a search function. Upon locating the proper button, He pressed. After searching for several seconds, the panel found a frequency it recognized and connected to it.

* * *

Trenton Uvelle couldn't believe his luck. After getting into extended battles with the Sith foot soldiers he and his partner where running low on ammo and completely out of grenades. But, then, the comlink call came in that there was another survivor. _Survivor. When did this start being a massacre? _Trenton bitterly wondered. They were going to meet the mercenary at the escape pods.

Jay, his partner, whistled. _All clear_. Trenton moved into the corridor slowly. The door to the escape pods was just ahead. The Republic Marines escorted Bastila through the door. They then locked the door behind her. She was a smart girl. She would figure out how to use the escape pod herself. They stood between the Sith horde and the door in which the Jedi was currently located. And nothing or no one was going through that door while they had justone breath left. They heard the marching of feet in the distance. Trenton turned to Jay and clasped his shoulder as Jay did the same. "Die well my brother." Jay nodded. "And to you."

The Sith had arrived. The first wave died upon turning the corner. The second and third waves made it just beyond the bend but not much further. Trenton's rifle ran dry and he whipped out his pistol firing it with deadly accuracy. The Sith had made it within 5 meters when Trenton's pistol ran out of power. He glanced left and saw Jay throw down his pistol.

Trenton started to speak, voice rising, as he drew his vibroblade. "On this day blood will spill. And I will die. But not before I paint this wall with your blood! OYA!(4)" Trenton screamed and charged the Sith, blade drawn as blaster streaks began to whiz close to him.

* * *

Mach had almost reached the escape pod corridor when the blaster fire intensified and then slowly died off.

* * *

Trenton ripped his vibroblade out of the last Sith's head. He looked over at Jay, sprawled over a Sith body, blade buried to the hilt in the Sith's chest; dead troopers behind him. The Sith had shot Jay pointblank as he stabbed him. All of the adrenaline that had been fueling Trenton's body suddenly left him. The six blaster shots he had taken began to burn with blinding fire. Trenton fell to one knee, his blade supporting him. Through his slightly hazy vision he saw movement. Looking up he saw the black Sith robes. He heaved his body back to standing position as the adrenaline began to surge once again. The pain began to vanish. He readied his blade. And charged.

* * *

Mach reached the corridor in time to see a Dark Jedi behead a Republic Marine. The Sith, sensing Mach, turned to face him. When he turned Mach saw that there was a fresh cut on the Sith's face. The Republic soldier had come close to blinding the Dark Jedi. The Sith smirked. _One more to play with before getting the target._ He was still pissed that the pathetic Republic soldier had wounded him. Mach drew his blades. The blood-red lightsaber snapped into existence. The Sith allowed himself one more smirk of satisfaction before his face twisted into a feral snarl. And then the battle began. The lightsaber struck again and again, but each time a blade blocked it. Then Mach attacked. Blades flashed as he drove the Dark Jedi back. Mach spun the blades out and slashed the Sith's chest.

The Sith jumped back with a snarl. His hate-filled yellow eyes glared at Mach. Mouth twisted into a furious snarl, he leapt at Mach lightsaber raised!

The swords and the lightsaber clashed powerfully. Blades pushing against each other, the Dark Jedi and Mach tested their strength.

"How can you resist me?" The Sith snarled.

"I don't remember much." Mach started, "I don't remember how I got these skills or how I can do what I do. What I do remember is a name. A name. My name. " As Mach spoke his voice began to rise to power and intensity. "And you know what it is? **_Revan_.**" With those words Mach pushed with his blades and blasted the Dark Jedi across the corridor to slam into the wall, lightsaber shattering upon impact. The Sith started to get up when two blades slammed into the wall on either side of his neck crossed in an "x" position. **"_I don't know why or how I lost my memory. But I'm going to find out. And you're in my way_."** And with those final words, Mach ripped his blades back; decapitating the Sith in a bloody shower. Mach then flicked his blades, flinging off the blood of the shiny vibroblades. As Mach approached the escape pod door he sheathed them.

* * *

1. Mandalorian - Damn It!

2. Mandalorian - Fool, Idiot

3. Mandalorian - Remembrance of those who passed on - "I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal"

4. Mandalorian – Hoorah!

* * *

And...this chapters done!

And in only six months time!

Yeah.

Let me know what you think.


	4. Alliance of Convenience

And here's the next chapter! But First I would like to make a shout-out to my reviewers:

Nerwen Aldarion: The flashback scenes are going to be very important in order to fully understand the reasons "Why". Thanks for the tips! Let me know what you think about the flashback!

the voice in your head (): Yeah, there is tons of "walkthrough" KOTOR fics. I was going from something a little different. Well, at least in the that "little" became alot.

And also the people who alerted this fic:

Borachio, uberjjk, and amac1688

So, Without further adue:

Alliance of Convenience

* * *

_The meadow was peaceful. And for the two five-year-olds that equaled boring. They soon spied a cave in the distance. With childish glee the youngsters headed for what would be (in their minds) the adventure of their lives. The brown haired girl stopped at the entrance of the cave and peered into its depths. "I don't think we should go in there." She said with uncertainty. The dirty-blonde haired boy turned to her and exclaimed, "Com'on Kaylee! It'll be fun!" _

_And with those words the boy led in to the cave. After traveling through the cave for a bit the two children came upon a split in the path. One looked like it led to a lit area and the other just led deeper in the cave. _

_The boy felt something, a faint tug on the edge of his consciousness, which beckoned him down the boy started to go down the path deeper when the small girls voice hesitantly rang out, "Revan! I don't think we sh-should go down there!" Revan turned to her and questioned her, "Why not?" "Because who knows w-whats down there?" She quietly replied. "It'll be fine. It's completely safe." Revan assured her. " 'Sides, Iff'in there was somethin' down there, I'll protect you!" _

_Kaylee was not inspired by Revan's speech and continued to shake her head. After a few more pleading statements Revan angrily said, "Fine! Your to afraid go down there? Then stay here! 'Cause I'm goin' down!" And with those parting words Revan turned and marched down the path, ignoring Kaylee's increasingly loud pleadings to come back. _

Carth Onasi sighed. _This was supposed to be an easy mission._ The mission was supposed to be simple. Transport Jedi Bastila Shan to the Dantooine and leave. He supposed that this "Milk Run" was because he had just gotten out of phyc- eval. Still the mission had grated on him when he had first received it. "_Who the hell where they to say he wasn't on top of his game?! If they'd gone through what he'd gone through…" _Carth shook himself free of his thoughts and turned to watch the tossing figure on the bed. The source of his current problem.

The mission had been "flying smooth" until the halfway point anyways, then; everything hit the fan. A large Sith warship, with escorts, appeared from the "dark side" of the planet and caught them unawares. They had been quickly boarded. He had realized that Bastila would trying to reach the escape pods and so he had made his to the 'pod bay as quickly as he could. Stopping only to kill the Sith Animals that impeded his progress.

He had arrived from the engineering section to the Escape Pods only a few minutes before when Jedi Bastila Shan had been shoved through the door from Living Quarters and then the door was sealed behind her.

Bastila had looked at him and looked at him, almost crying, as she told him "They were all dying because of her". Carth had been at a loss, not sure what to do; He hadn't felt this helpless since _that day._ As the memories started to pour in with horrifying glee, he had viciously banished them back to the dark box they came from. And then, to distract himself, drew upon his disaster training and turned to help the Jedi.

He had carefully strapped her in to an escape pod and then launched it from the ship. _"I wonder if she knows how to steer a 'pod." _Carth idly thought. _"Probably. She was a Jedi after all." _He added with a mental shrug.

Just as Carth was about to strap himself in to a 'pod, the door opened and in strolled _the mercenary_. Strolled, not ran or walked in, but actually strolled in! Like it was a comfortable walk down the street not a ship that was about to be blown to smithereens! The mercenary had walked in to Carth's Escape, sat down, strapped in, and then turned to Carth and asked, "Are we going to move anytime soon?"

Carth had thrown himself into action and launched the pod. Unfortunately for them, right after they had left the ship, the Sith decided to blow the ship to, well, smithereens. Thus giving them quite a jolt and sending the mercenary face first into a panel; knocking him and the panel out of commission.

Carth then realized that the smashed panel was the navigation panel and so he had to land by sight only. They survived, but happened to land/smash into the street. Carth had recognized that they had to get out of the immediate area and grabbed his unconscious companion. After meeting a Republic sympathizer, which he found out a short time later were on short supply, they were given a room in a dirty apartment complex and left alone. That was six hours ago.

Carth looked over to the bed and could see that the mercenary was showing signs of waking.

_She cut down the last Sith standing between her and the objective. The brown-haired woman held her yellow lightsaber in a cautious stance as she slowly walked to forward to the black-robed figure staring out the window at the furious space battle outside, seemingly ignoring the fact that one of his followers had just met his demise. _

_But when she had gotten within eight meters of him, his voice rang out, "So, this is the best the Jedi can offer? How foolish. They send their best support piece to attack the leader. I wonder, what do they wish to accomplish today?" _

_The Jedi's voice rang out, with a sense of justice, "Revan! Surrender and your life will be spared!" _

"_Ah. So that's what the Jedi hope to accomplish. An assassination. Odd, I would have assumed that they would have sent a more experienced assassin rather than their only viable chance of slowing me down." A pause. "Or more than one." _

_The Dark Lord turned around to face the woman as she tensed in anticipation of an attack. "Bastila." Revan's voice sounded in a slightly disproving tone, "I'm not going to do anything until your friends get here." _

_Bastila's face scrunched slightly in confusion. "I don't know of what you speak of, but surrender." This time the command was said with far less conviction. _

"_And so the last players arrive." The doors behind Bastila bursts open and she spins around to see five Jedi storm through, lightsabers blazing. She recognizes them as the premiere weapon masters of the Jedi Order._

"_So" The Dark Lord's voice rings out after a moment of silence, "Are you here to bring me in?" He adds mockingly. _

"_Darth Revan! By order of the Galactic Republic and The Jedi Order, you are hereby sentenced as a traitor to the People of the Republic! Surrender now and you will not be harmed!" The lead Jedi Master shouts. "You cannot win Revan!" _

_The Dark Lord of the Sith appears to consider the offer. Then, a blood-red lightsaber ignites into existence. The blade is swept up into a flourish. "Then approach _**_Jedi. Capture me. Test your fate. Come meet your destiny._** _" _

_The world is suddenly engulfed in red._

__ Mach sat up with up gasp, heart pounding. "_Damn dream."_ Outwardly, he simply exclaimed "Damn!" He then noticed another presence in the room and instinctively reached for his blades. They were not there.

His eyes flew to the other person and noted several things an instant.

First, Male. Mid-to-late twenties. Second, his jacket was very orange. Third, he was pointing a blaster at Mach.

"Hello there. Why are you pointing a weapon at me?" The orange jacket man seemed surprised and slightly confused at the question.

"Who are you?" The question was barked at Mach.

"Mach Farcon. Who are you?" Orange Jacket Man seemed once again confused.

He then shot another question, "Why where you on the _Endar Spire_?"

"I was paid to protect Bastila until she reached her destination." This answer seemed to satisfy Orange Jacket a bit. Mach was tempted to ask Jacket Man why he was on the ship but decided that probably wouldn't go over well.

Orange Jacket Man finally lowered the blaster. "Carth Onasi. Republic Soldier."

Mach remembered the file he had read on Carth. He had served as a distinguished pilot during the Mandalorian War and had fought in the Jedi Civil War until the bombing of Telos IV where he apparently lost his wife and son. He had vowed to kill Admiral Saul Karath, the perpetrator of the event, in revenge. The file went on to list that Carth was slightly paranoid and didn't really trust anyone. It also listed the times Carth attacked the enemy head first, instead of waiting for the approval of command.

"You took a pretty hard hit to the head when we crash landed." Carth explained. "I brought you here and patched you up."

"Ok." Mach got up and located his gear. He started moving towards it when Carth stood up. "Where are you going?" Carth asked suspiciously. "To retrieve Bastila." Came the reply. Carth looked slightly shocked at the answer. "But, the Sith have overrun of the entire planet!" Carth protested.

"They can't stop me." Mach replied calmly.

Carth looked at Mach trying to decide if it was confidence or arrogance that prompted Mach's reply. Carth then seemed to come up with a brilliant idea. "I have to find Bastila as well. We should stick together and find her."

Mach thought about Carth's suggestion to stick together, an idea of his own starting to form in his mind. _"It could work."_ Mach motioned over to Carth to sit down. And then he began to speak.

"I lost my memories. I don't remember much." Carth seemed to want to say something but then closed his mouth. "But I can tell you this, my real name isn't Mach Farcon. It is Revan." At those words Carth sprang back from his chair, drew his blaster, and pointed it at Mach's face. "I am going to be retrieving Bastila. You can assist me or not."

Carth fingers tightened on the trigger as he spat, "What do you want with Bastila?" Mach looked at him, seemingly ignoring the blaster waving in his face.

"Originally it was about the credits. But now it seems that she is part of my past. So, I will speak to her. And somehow, she feels…" Mach seemed to search for the proper word, " important."

Carth was about to protest at the obvious lie when Mach spoke again.

"Do you know what drives me?" He asked. "The **_Question_**. _Why_? Why would Revan save the Republic only to turn around and destroy it? It makes no logical sense. And then there's another question: what made him loose his memory? And I will find out the answers to the Question."

Carth looked into the other man's eyes and saw that he was telling the truth. And the will and resolve to complete his mission was stronger than anything Carth had ever seen. Mach then set the hook; "And Malak has much to answer for. I will reach him. Leaving _all_ of his subordinates exposed."Carth tensed briefly.

_Hook, Line, And Sinker. _ Carth lowered his blaster. If this mercenary was truly Darth Revan, the Carth couldn't kill him if he tried. But, Carth could use him to rescue Bastila. After they were off the planet, he could always tell the Republic about amnesic Sith Lord. Plus, Carth realized that Mach/ Revan was going to cut down anything in his quest to find the answers to his questions and as long as Carth wasn't in his way, he could be ironically trusted. And if what he said about Malak's subordinates was true… Carth nodded his assent.

"We should probably head to the cantina. The locals might know something." Carth spoke. Mach nodded and started to collect his gear.

After collecting their gear, the two men headed out of the apartment. Upon leaving the room they entered a circular room that had doors, similar to the one they had just exited, evenly spaced out in a circle, the hallway passing each room. It seemed like a rundown small apartment complex. Perfect for people to hide out in.

Unfortunately for the soldiers, it seemed that the Sith had decided to raid this particular complex today.

Unfortunately for the Sith, they had picked the _wrong _apartment complex to raid.

A Sith Captain was shouting orders at the various aliens milling about in the hallway. He was flanked by a squad of four Sith troopers. "Alright! Everyone Against The Wall! This Is A Raid!" The Sith Captain screamed.

As the various aliens who were unlucky enough to be in the hallway at the time carefully shuffled towards the walls, the Sith Captain noticed Carth through the rapidly thinning traffic.

"A human hiding with the aliens!? He's A Republic Fugitive! Attack!" The Sith cried, pointing at Carth!

It was in that moment when several things happened very quickly. The two troopers in the back of the squad died quickly as a sword blade was shoved through their backs, exiting through their chests. As they fell forward, the Sith Captain started to turn; catching a _glimpse_ of the one who assassinated his men. Mach stood, with two bloody swords, slightly behind his fallen subordinates. The Captain saw a ghost of a smirk; _a reapers smile_, touch Mach's face. Then Mach exploded into action.

Meanwhile, Carth looked to his right, saw that Mach was no longer there, cursed and was drawing his blaster pistol when he saw two of the Sith troopers' chests erupt in blood. At this point Carth had drawn his pistol and aimed at the Sith trooper to the left of the Sith Captain. He pulled the trigger as soon as the Sith's head appeared in the sights. The Sith slumped to the ground, dead, a burned hole in his face shield. Carth was already adjusting his aim to the Captain when he saw Mach _move_.

Mach rammed his left sword through the Sith Trooper's ribs; Cutting the Sith's heart in half. The right slashed the Sith Captain spine, cutting to the bone. At the same time, a blaster blot hit the Captain in the chest. He never had a chance. As he collapsed to the floor, Mach's blade rose and fell; Ending the Sith's life.

If Carth had any doubts about the validity of Mach's story, he didn't now. The mercenary had just butchered three troopers within a few seconds. He watched as Mach jerked the blades free in a small shower of blood. The mercenary then flicked his wrists and sheathed the now clean swords. He then looked at Carth and inclined his head toward the door.

Carth looked at the bodies and then at Mach. Carth let a smirk appear on his face as he thought, _"The Sith are about to find out that there's someone else looking for the missing Jedi. And he's a whole lot scarier than they are." _


	5. Information Gathering

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People who alerted this fic: Darth Reaper

And on with the story!

Chapter 5: Information Gathering

* * *

_The meadow was peaceful. And for the two five-year-olds that equaled soon spied a cave in the distance. With childish glee the youngsters headed for what would be (in their minds) the adventure of their lives. The brown haired girl stopped at the entrance of the cave and peered into its depths. "I don't think we should go in there." She said with uncertainty. The dirty-blonde haired boy turned to her and exclaimed, "Com'on Kaylee! It'll be fun!" _

_And with those words the boy led in to the cave. After traveling through the cave for a bit the two children came upon a split in the path. One looked like it led to a lit area and the other just led deeper in the cave. The boy felt something, a faint tug on the edge of his consciousness, which beckoned him down the path. The boy started to go down the path deeper when the small girls voice hesitantly rang out, "Revan! I don't think we sh-should go down there!" Revan turned to her and questioned her, "Why not?" "Because who knows w-whats down there?" She quietly replied. "It'll be fine. It's completely safe." Revan assured her. " 'Sides, Iff'in there was somethin' down there, I'll protect you!" _

_Kaylee was not inspired by Revan's speech and continued to shake her head. After a few more pleading statements Revan angrily said, "Fine! You're too afraid go down there? Then stay here! 'Cause I'm goin' down!" And with those parting words Revan turned and marched down the path, ignoring Kaylee's increasingly loud pleadings to come back._

_The tug became stronger as Revan moved down the path. As he progressed down the path, it got darker and darker. After it had darkened to almost pitch black, Revan saw a faint light in the distance. He ran towards it. The light became bigger and brighter as he drew closer to it. The tunnel suddenly opened into what seemed to be a massive cavern; or at least it seemed massive to the five-year-old. After gazing in awe at the cavern, Revan noticed that the there wasn't any lights that he could see. "Then where is the light comin' from?" He wondered out loud. The tug returned and Revan found himself turning his gaze downward until he spotted a strange sight. A crystal formation sat in the middle of the giant room. But what was strange was the unnatural red light that seemed to be emitting from it. Revan felt drawn to the crystal. He slowly walked towards it, raising his hand to touch it as he got close._

_As soon as his hand touched the glowing red crystal, the light flickered. Not that Revan would have noticed. An intense pressure exploded in his skull and faint incomprehensible whispers in his ear. The pressure kept building and Revan thought his head was going to explode! With his consciousness starting to fade, Revan pushed the pressure back within his skull. At first it resisted, but then Revan had a thought; "How can I protect Kaylee if my head explodes?" With that thought bolstering his will, Revan began to slowly push back the pressure. Time became meaningless as he fought the desperate battle in his mind. The crystal was now shining with almost blinding intensity. Then abruptly, the light went out. The pressure in Revan's mind vanished. He collapsed in front of the dark crystal. An unknown amount of time passed. Revan slowly woke to the whispers. He couldn't understand them. _

_Then, Revan suddenly felt a flash of intense pain, driving him to his knees. It was the worst pain he had ever faced in his short life. As Revan fought for consciousness, one thought formed into his mind. It wasn't his pain. Kaylee. Something had happened to Kaylee. The pain vanished as Revan bolted out of the room towards where he had last saw his bestest friend. And if Revan would have taken the time to look back, he would have seen the crystal glowing red once more. The whispers grew louder. _

Mach sat up in bed with a barley suppressed groan. He then let out actual groan when he remembered what he had to do today. Mach let out along sigh as remembered why he was dreading this day.

* * *

After Carth and Mach had left the apartment complex, they had stuck to a series of hallways running parallel to the main street. When they had traveled for a while, they came upon a clothing store that had seen it better days. Mach had peered in and was surprised to find that it was run by a Abaxus Selling Droid. The Abaxus Selling Droid was one of the few droids that could be left unattended without worry. The droid simply wasn't smart enough to realize that nothing was actually preventing it from escaping. And due to the fact its programming was designed to accept customers, regardless of race or social status, a strange quirk had developed. The droids became dependent on making a sale. If the droid had assessed that you had some credits to burn, you probably could run around waving a blaster in the air and/or screaming wildly and it wouldn't care. And since it had no concept of time, it could wait indefinitely for you to finish.

They entered the shop. The droid scanned them and returned its attention to the door, beeping quietly to itself. They had quickly found what they had been looking for. Traveling cloaks. A traveling cloak was worn on the back and vaguely looked like a cape. But fashion was not what concerned the two soldiers, the cloaks could hide their weapons from casual sight. Better still, it made them look just like all of the other hundred travelers wondering the streets. Carth picked a dark green color while Mach picked a black one. Carth had raised an eyebrow at his companion's choice of color but had decided not to comment on it. They paid for the clothing and moved back into the hallway. They looked at the crowd moving passed them down the street and then at each other. They then stepped out and merged with the throng, becoming just another face in the crowd.

After that, it was simple to make their way to the cantina. The First Taris Cantina was big. Extending for at least five stories each designed for different types of patrons, it was a searchers nightmare. After an exchange of words, Mach and Carth decided to split up to cover more ground, the latter albeit more reluctantly than the former.

Carth had gone to the upper levels and Mach had gone to the lower levels. After the two hours passed, the agreed upon time, they met at a table on the ground floor.

"So, any luck?" Carth questioned as he sat down.

"Some." Came the reply.

After several moments of silence Carth spoke again, "I guess I'm going first. I learned from an old spacer that the Sith took over this planet 2 months ago. They imposed the blockade over the planet over two weeks ago. No ships in or out. And to top it off, If you did get a ship off the ground, the turret ring would blast you out of the sky long before you reached the actual blockade itself!" Carth then continued in a slightly hopeful tone, "But, there maybe a way around that problem. The Sith, according to a fighter pilot, have firing codes that can be imputed to control or stop the turrets from firing. The only problem is, it's located inside a Sith base. " A slightly frustrated tone now colored Carth's voice as he continued, "But, even if we get the launch codes we still don't have a ship to leave!" Carth looked over at Mach. "How about you? What did you learn?"

"Well," Mach Began "I found out that Bastila probably crash landed on one of the lower levels. And then, chances are, she was captured. By a gang." Mach stated matter-a -factly. Carth looked skeptical at Mach's information. "Bastila is a Jedi. She wouldn't get captured by some gang. " Mach looked at Carth, "Even if she was unconscious?" Carth opened and closed his mouth. "Damn. Are you sure?" Carth asked Mach. "Somehow…yes." Mach replied slowly.

"Is it because of…" Carth vaguely pointed to his head. Mach nodded.

"But, we can't just reach the lower levels. They are well guarded." Mach continued.

"Then how are we supposed to get down there!?" Carth demanded. He paused. Then looked at Mach. "You have a plan." Carth realized.

Mach nodded and then explained. "It was just after I got done _talking_ to a former Black Vulkars, a large gang in the lower city, I noticed a woman…"

* * *

Mach got up from the table. The male Nikto was slumped on the table, barely conscious, muttering gibberish. He idly wondered if the alien was susceptible to liver poisoning. Mach then panned the room for any more useful information points. He then saw a woman sitting by herself in the back of the room.

She had red hair and brown expressive eyes. Mach would have considered her pretty, if not borderline beautiful, except for the scowl that creased her face. She looked fairly intelligent and at ease in the cantina; so Mach figured that it wasn't her first time here. By proxy, it meant that she had been on planet for a while, since the Sith had blockaded the planet. And judging from the scowl, Mach guessed that she considered herself better then the common rabble around her. Each observation, by itself, was not remarkable; together it matched the profile of an off duty Sith officer. Mach let a small smile touch his lips. For some odd reason, the average female would pay complete attention to him when he was talking to them and then answer any question he asked of him. Most also tried to touch him as he talked to them as well. Mach shook his head slightly. _"Females were odd. They didn't follow the logical progression of things. They thought emotionally. How could you base a conclusion on emotions? Emotions, by definition, were undefinable. How then could they be good things to be used make decision? I will never understand them." _Mach thought as he straightened his cloak and flattened down his hair. He then headed towards the woman.

Sarna was bored out of her mind. There was absolutely nothing on this god forsaken planet to do except to drink the local ale. Just when she was ready to throw up her hands and go back to base, a baritone voice broke into her thoughts.

"Excuse me miss. I couldn't help but notice you were sitting here by yourself. May I sit down?" Sarna head snapped to look at the owner of the voice. The stranger was tall, mysterious, and well dressed, or at least better than all of the other common _civilians._ _And most definitely __male. _His brown hair was short, not as short as a military cut or anything, but short enough to show case his head. He had a strong jaw, and was well muscled. Not grotesquely or anything, just perfectly muscled. But the most intriguing thing about him was his eyes. The bright green eyes were hypnotizing and currently danced with a hint of mirth. As Sarna concluded her perusal, she came to a conclusion. _He was hot._

Mach watched as the Sith slowly looked him over. He then repeated his question. She looked startled and nodded, a light blush appearing on her cheeks.

"So…" Mach began. "I saw you from over there," He indicated with his head, "and I decided it was criminal from a beautiful woman as yourself to be sitting by your lonesome."

"Oh, really?" Sarna drew out the words. "How do you know I didn't want to alone?"

Mach smirked. "From the way you looked at me when I walked over here." Sarna had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"Sarna" The Sith woman said as she offered her hand.

"Rodren" Mach replied as he took her hand. Her hand was cold. Mach let his hand linger a second longer than was strictly necessary.

Sarna blushed again as his hand lingered on hers. His hand was warm. She was slightly disappointed as he removed his hand from hers. His voice took an inquisitive tone as he asked her, "So, why are you sitting by yourself? You could probably have any guy in the room hanging on your every word if you wanted." Sarna frowned as she replied. "No one wants to have fun on this planet."

Mach fought to keep his eye brow from rising. She was part of a military enterprise that killed people and conquered planets. And she wondered why the residents of a conquered planet didn't like her. Mach adopted a sympathetic tone as he said, "Yeah. This planet is probably is one of the most boring planet's I have ever been to. But I try to make the most of it." _Actually, Dantooine is much more boring._ The thought randomly entered his brain. Mach shook his head mentally to clear it as the Sith started to reply.

"Exactly! It's all about attitude. I didn't ask to be assigned to this to this backwater planet, but I try to make the best of it!" Sarna exclaimed. She paused for a second and then smiled slowly as she leaned forward slightly, "And how do you make to most of it?"

Mach let another smirk appear as he replied, leaning forward as he did so. "By getting to know the locals and their _rituals." _

Sarna's smile slowly spread as she leaned forward. "Oh?" She said breathily, "And what sort of rituals would you be interested in?" She said with a particular smile.

Mach let his trade mark smirk appear once again; leaning forward closer to the female as he lowered his voice "I prefer the hands on type."

Sarna smirked like a Maalraas cat. "Oh?" She purred. "Well, there is a party at four tomorrow. And I'd _really _like you to come. Interested?"

Mach sometimes hated his job. "I might."

"It's at apartment 57B in the North 20 Apartment Complex." Sarna looked at the crono and scowled slightly. "I have to go to my shift now." As she got up from the table and walked passed Mach she let her fingers run up his arm. "I'd _really_ like to see you there. I might even give you a…_reward."_And with those parting words she sashayed out of the room.

Mach had to resist the urge to go to the nearest 'fresher and wash his arm off.

* * *

Carth looked over at Mach incredulously. "How is going to party, a _Sith _party no less, going to help us?" He demanded.

"They will most likely drink themselves into unconsciousness. When that happens we will take their uniforms and use them to pass the guards patrolling the elevator to the Lower City." Mach explained.

Carth had to grudgingly admit that it was a good plan. "What time is it?"

"Tomorrow. Four."

Carth heaved out a sigh. "Well, let's head back to the apartment." Mach nodded and the two soldiers left the cantina.


	6. It's Going to Be a Party

Well, I'm back! Sorry it took so long but with Collage, Being promoted, School, and life I just haven't had the time to write. Hopefully I will get the next chapter, which I'm currently writing, up sooner then this one.

Nerwen Aldarion: Although there is no flashback this chapter there will be a culminating one in the near future. Thanks for reviewing and Hope you like this one!

People Who Alerted: dragonlance07, Darth Rabbits, puppykiller9, yansuke, and Horned Reaper 266.

Speech that is Underlined is an non-basic language translated in to basic for convenience's sake.

* * *

They could hear the music long before they reached the right room. The party was in full swing. As they neared the door Carth looked at Mach with a look that said, Do-I-really-have-to? Mach replied with a look. Yes-since-I-have-to. Carth gave a long suffering sigh. _Sometimes he hated his job._ The two soldiers entered apartment number 57B.

As soon as Mach entered the room he became the center of attention. The females, that were currently unattached, unabashedly stared at him. And all of the unattached males glared at him. For some reason the stares unnerved him far more than the glares.

Sarna was feeling great. The Tarisan Ale had settled comfortably in her stomach. She had picked her clothes carefully. And now her prey had arrived. She felt a shot of excitement run through her. She got up and stalked slowly toward "Rodren", making sure to put a little extra swing to her hips as she went.

Mach watched as the female Sith slowly made her way toward him. "_Sarna was her name I think."_ And from the way her hips swayed she seemed to have already consumed a good bit of alcohol. Mach's mind raced with idea's for how to separate her from the group so he could deal with her _personally_.

Sarna walked up to Rodren. "Hey, Stranger," she purred. "Care for some liquid refreshment?" Rodren took the offered glass and downed it in one go as Sarna's eyes widened. He took her glass over to the makeshift bar and refilled both their glasses. He then walked back to her.

Mach handed Sarna her glass. She toasted her glass with his. She then tossed the entire drink down. Her eyes widened as the alcohol worked down her system. Mach then drained his glass. Sarna then turned to him with a smile that promised something. Her voice was throaty as she whispered, "I think I'm going to head to bed. Care to join me?"

Normally Sarna would have had more tact. But, _she wanted him now, damn it!_ She mentally shivered as she thought of the pleasure soon to come. She pressed herself against Rodren. "I'll even give you a _reward." _ She said, her voice huskily. She felt him tense then relax. _He accepted her invitation. _Rodren gave her a smirk that made her weak in the knees. She reluctantly pulled herself away from him. She slowly strutted towards the adjacent bedrooms. When she reached the doorway she turned and saw him watching her. Sarna pressed herself against the doorframe and stretched her hand in a 'come-hither' gesture. She then turned and headed into the bedroom.

Mach watched Sarna as she left. He was tempted to simply throw away his plan and follow her into the room. But, even as those thoughts entered his brain, something held him back. Mach shook his head to clear it. _"The alcoholic beverage must be affecting me more than I thought." _ Mach walked over to the bar and refilled the two glasses. As he filled Sarna's glass, his hand brushed over the top of the glass. Mach swirled the liquid inside a few times and then walked towards the room the Sarna had disappeared into.

Carth had found a corner to sit in and saw the entire thing. He had gotten a red placisteel cup and filled it. He had drained the first and was currently sipping the second. After discouraging several attempts by several women he had been left alone. He was slightly disappointed in his partner. _"Partner? Since when did he become my partner? _ Carth shook the thought off and continued his previous train of thought. Here they where, in the middle of hostile territory, and his companion was going to have fun with the enemy. Granted, she _was_ pretty, but still. Carth ignored the small voice that told him that he was betraying _her_ by even thinking about another woman. _Morgana. An angel in overalls. His wife. _Carth remembered the first time he saw her…

_Carth exited the base barracks and head toward his ship. His fighter had developed a "pinging" noise during his last mission and he needed to get the problem, whatever it was, fixed. He'd seen to many fighter pilots die when an "innocent" noise caused an engine flare out or a power plant to go critical. Carth Onasi would not go out like that. If he did go, he would be taking as many of the bastards with him as he could. As he rounded the side of his fighter he saw something that stopped him cold._

_A pair of overall clad lags was sticking out of the ship's left engine. Not just any legs of course. Strong, shapely, and most definitely female. His eyes traced up her leg and promptly stopped. "Last time I checked their wasn't any seriously hot asses in the mechanics' ranks." The thought popped into his head. He shamelessly watched her rear wiggled as she squirmed out of the engine and turned around. "The view is even better in the front" Carth's gaze slowly looked from her feet to her chest. He heard words and brought his eyes up to her face. Her brown hair framed her face and her pouty lips were delectable. However, they were currently twisted into an angry frown. Carth's gaze shot up to her readable eyes. They were a deep brown color that you could get lost in. But, currently they were glaring at him angrily. _

_Carth suddenly realized that he had been ogling her as she had been standing there. He suddenly felt the urge to apologize to her. The only problem was, he didn't know her name. _

_Carth smiled his most charming smile. "Carth Onasi." As he stuck out his hand. She didn't take his hand. She stared at his hand like it was diseased. He realized that this method wasn't going to work. Carth took a deep breath. _

"_I'm sorry." He began. "I shouldn't have looked at you like that without permission." She seemed surprised at his apology. She tilted her head to the side cutely as she considered his words. She then reached out and shook his hand. An electric shock ran through him as their hands touched._

" _Morgana. And for the record, if you look at me again, I'll cut off something that you need." Her voice was beautiful. And Carth missed her threat entirely. _

Carth grimaced to himself. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best way to start a relationship. Movement from the bedrooms caused him to look over. Mach reentered the room. He really didn't look disheveled. In fact, he looked more alert than when he had left.

Mach looked at the room's inhabitants. Most had drunken themselves into an unconscious stupor. Only one Sith male looked to be semi-alert. Carth, his _partner,_ looked to be still functioning. Currently the Sith had his back to Mach. _Perfect. _Mach walked up behind the Sith. Mach reached forward, circled right arm around the Sith's throat, and clamped down on the larynx, his left fist pressed against the Sith's carotid artery. He leaned back, lifting the Sith off of the floor. The levered grip took immediate hold, the oxygen stopped, the Sith's brain running out of oxygen. Mach lowered the limp body to the floor. Mach briefly considered snapping the Sith's neck but that would be suspicious. And as it stood right now, the Sith would wake up tomorrow with pounding heads and wondering where in the hell were their uniforms. It would undoubtedly would cause some chaos. And the more chaos the better. I_And through choas, I am free._ Mach was momentarily confused at the random thought. He then shrugged and motioned to his partner.

Carth blinked at the scene. Mach had grabbed the Sith from behind in, what looked like, a modified headlock, and the Sith slumped over. His partner was now motioning him over to the pile of discarded uniforms. Carth stood up to his feet and his head pounded. _"Note to self: Stand up slower next time." _Carth walked over to Mach. Mach wordlessly handed Carth a de-tox pill. The pill started to go to work, processing the alcohol and purging it from his system. Carth nodded him thanks. Mach selected the cleanest uniform he could find from the pile, as Carth did the same. After putting the armor on and securing the helmet, the two disguised Republic Soldiers left the party.

As Mach and Carth moved down the walkway towards the turbo lift to the Lower City, they noticed that they were given a wide berth. Sometimes the civilians would sometimes even stop and back away from them. Carth shot a glance at Mach, wondering what he thought of it.

Finally, much to Carth's relief, the two companions reached the elevator. The guard merely gave them a courtesy glance and waved them through. As the elevator started down, Carth let out a breath that he didn't realize that he had been holding. Carth looked at his companion who didn't look even slightly affected. "Doesn't anything affect you?" Carth asked unbelievingly.

"What is there to affect?" Seeing Carth look at him questioningly Mach elaborated. "The Sith are arrogant. No one has ever done anything like this before. That's why it worked. All you have to do is find a weak point and exploit it." He explained.

Carth raised his eyebrow and then shrugged. It had gotten them through hadn't it?

The lift fell silent. After a few seconds Carth broke the silence. "So, uh, how was she?" Mach looked quizzically at Carth. Carth expounded on his question. "The Sith. How was she? When you know…" Mach realized what Carth was alluding to.

"I didn't sleep with her if that's what you mean. I simply laced her drink with a powerful knockout pill."

Carth blinked. "Then what took you so long?"

"I took care of the rest of the Sith in the other rooms." Carth nodded in understanding.

Mach spoke again. "We should probably take these uniforms off. They will now attract more problems than they are currently worth. And the armor doesn't stop anything." Carth nodded. The elevator fell silent again save for the sound of clothing and armor rustling. Just as they finished, the turbo lift doors opened with a _ding!_ The Lower City, in all its greed and desperation, beckoned.

The Lower City wasn't anything to write home about. It's unpainted walls did little to hide the stains of questionable origin. The air smelled faintly of vomit, blood, and unwashed bodies. Both men had smelled worse. Still, the difference from the clean, fresh Upper City was striking. The two soldiers looked at each other and then moved forward. They quickly came to an intersection. Ahead, lay an apartment complex. To the sides, hallways stretching around a bend. They paused, unsure which path to take. _Take the left path. _ Something whispered in Mach's head. But, unlike all the previous times, _this_ whisper was not filled with malice. Rather, it filled him with momentary peace. Mach turned to the left hallway. Carth followed. As soon as the two companions rounded the bend, they came upon a fight in the making. Two groups of five faced each other in a line. On the one side two small Rodians, wearing a green jumpsuit with yellow accents, stood holding vibroshivs. Their companions were comprised of two humans and a twi'lek. All wore the same green and yellow jumpsuits, and all looked smaller than average size. Facing them however, was direct contrast. Three Nikto stood staring down their opponents, their unnaturally large muscles further setting the contrast. The other two, a human and Rodain, were similarly large. They all were dressed in a green and black jumpsuit.

"The Black Vulkars will destroy you Hidden Beks!" The large human shouted at the smaller group. "Yeah!" One of the Niktos agreed. "Kill You All!" He added eloquently.

"You will regret the day you crossed the Hidden Beks!" One of the now known, Hidden Bek Rodians shouted back in rage and fear.

With a roar, the two groups converged on each other. The human was first to fall, courtesy of one of the Niktos' blades. The Hidden Beks fought bravely, but they had no chance. The dirty ground was soon covered in green and red blood. The victorious Black Vulkars stood over the bodies. The Rodain spotted the Republic Soldiers and screamed, "More Victims!" The Black Vulkars converged on the two soldiers!

Unlike the Hidden Beks they just faced, the two men were not so easy prey. Carth was a veteran of both the Mandalorian War and the Jedi Civil War. Mach was an amnesiatic former Sith lord.

Carth whipped out his pistol and drilled the human in the side of the head. He scanned the area for more targets there was none. Mach had already killed them all. He stood in the middle of the four bodies. Swords dripping multi-colored blood. Carth was once again struck with the reality that in spite of losing his memory, Mach was still a very lethal individual. Mach flicked his swords and sheathed them. Carth holstered his blaster. They moved on. The bodies lay still behind them.

Mach and Carth soon heard the faint music that was synonymous with a cantina. As the two men approached the sounds, they soon saw the brightly lit sign. Like its Upper City counterpart, the cantina reflected its surrounding environment. A lit up silhouette of a twi'lek female curled around the sign announcing: Javier's Cantina.

The two men looked at the sign. Then at each other. They grinned at each other and walked in.

Mach glanced around and scoped out the place. The cantina had a circular main room with four off-shooting hubs. In the main room there was a wrap around bar and in the middle of the room behind the bar several twi'lek females danced in provocative manners. One of the hubs looked like a dining room, another looked like a gambling den, another looked like a recruitment for gangs and mercenaries, and the last was a small "gentlemen's " club. Mach thought he had a caught a glimpse of a female dancing on a pole, but he ignored it. He had better thing to do than stare at people.

Javier's Cantina's inside did not surprise either man. Carth had been to these types of places before and after the war, in fact, a cantina like this one was the site of Morgana and his second date. _"Ah, good times. " _Carth thought. His mood soured slightly as he then thought of how their relationship was ended and once again silently vowed revenge on Saul. Mach, on the other hand, had been to many of these seedy types of places on a job or on his quest. However, Mach couldn't help but think that somehow he had been here before…

The two men started towards the recruitment hub. Information was never free but alcoholic beverages had the uncanny ability to make people share their secrets. And what better place to find secrets to spill than the place that hires to keep secrets?

Before they got to their destination though, several raised voices attracted their attention. Two rodian thugs were accosting a young twi-lek female. She did not look like she was happy to see them. As the two soldier's approached they could hear the heated conversation.

"I told you two piles of bantha poodoo to leave me alone!" The twi-lek cried.

"But we want you to dance for us little girlie!" One of the rodian's exclaimed.

"I don't work here!" The twi-lek shouted. "And who are you calling little?" She demanded. Carth moved to interfere but Mach stopped him with an arm.

"You are." The rodian pointed out threateningly. "And we are big! So you are going to dance for us!" He finished with a nasty grin.

"Just a second." The twi-lek said. She then called out, "Zaalbar! I need you for something!" A moment later a large brown wookiee trudged over to the twi-lek. The twi-lek grinned brightly at the rodians.

The rodians waved their hands in front of them, "We have business with little girlie. Not big creature." 

"You got a problem with me you got a problem with Zaalbar!" The twi-lek proclaimed loudly. The rodians, apparently deciding that it wasn't worth it, turned to leave. But not before throwing several threats about how her "big friend" won't always be around.

The twi-lek turned to her big companion, "Let's get out of here. This dive is boring anyways."

"But Mission, I got food!" The wookiee protested. "Come 'on you big lug! You can get food in the Bek base!" And with that the two unlikely companions headed towards the door. As Mission neared Carth she suddenly tripped. Carth's arms shot out and prevented her from falling. As Carth helped her to her feet she apologized profusely. She then headed back towards the door.

"Excuse me!" Mach called out, "Could you return my friend's wallet?" The twi-lek paused and then turned around. Carth's hand shot down to his empty wallet. "Son of a .."

She handed a flabbergasted Carth his wallet and turned to Mach. "You're not going to turn me in are you?" She asked nervously.

"How about some information? And my friend's comlink?"


End file.
